All the Reasons
by linad181
Summary: We all have our reasons for and against love, but sometimes we have to throw caution to the wind and do what seems right. Even at the cost of our heart. Peter's been told his whole life what falling in love can do. So when a certain Destroyer takes an interest well he allow the gentle giant in? Or screw the whole thing up? {Rated T for now, could change!}
1. Chapter 1

I couldn't believe this. I could _freakin'_ believe this! Of all the people in the universe why does it have to be me? Ok, so I was able to stop Ronan with the help of what is now my crew, awesome. Xandar is safe, cool. Universe is saved, definitely happy about that. What does all that earn me? A crew of misfits that seem to fit with each other, alright that's nice. What does _that_ earn me? Feelings for a certain six-foot-four, green-skinned, scar-ridden, muscled, unable-to-understand-anything-metaphorical Destroyer!

I couldn't even tell you when it started exactly, probably back at the jail when he was holding Gamora against the wall with a knife to her throat. I managed to ignore it for the most part through our little adventure together; but now that we were all living on the _Milano_ , traveling from system to system, doing what we could to make a little money here or there. Now it was definitely becoming a problem.

Never date a subordinate.

That was Yondu's first piece of advice to me when I lost my virginity. It was somewhat funny (and all kinds of embarrassing, mainly because he gave me this lecture in front of the crew in the mess hall) that he'd actually sat me down and gave me all these rules and guidelines to dating and getting laid.

And there were all kinds, let me tell you. Don't date someone taller than you. Don't take somebody with more than four arms. The list went on and on; and a lot of those rules applied to what I was feeling right now. The thing was, none of those brought me any comfort, none of them made me stop thinking about my feelings.

I decided to do what I had done before: ignore it. If you ignore a problem long enough…it eventually goes away.

Yeah…that was going to work out alright.

A month into our adventures and nothing was getting better, the thing was I was starting to see signs that maybe these feelings were mutual. It started off with little things, he would always bring me a cup of coffee made just the way I like. He made it a point to sit next to me almost all the time. He even seemed to go out of his way to defend me when some of our missions got a little hairy. I was hoping this was just from the deep level of comradery we were developing. After all we were kinda the first people he'd began to trust in a very long time. Thing was: he never did things like this for the others.

I decided that maybe it was time to seek some advice. The first person I thought of was Gamora. She was probably the only lady friend I had that _hadn't_ been in my bed…and I respected her for that. She made an amazing member of our little crew and she threw herself head first into being here, she didn't isolate herself or do any of the things I thought a person in her position might.

At the time we happened to be docked on Xandar, fresh from turning in a wanted criminal for a nice little bounty. We were in the cafeteria of the port to sit down for a quick bite to eat before continuing on our way.

"It was nice of you to bring us here," she told me.

"Thanks. I was hoping to get some advice on something."

"Really?" She replied. "What have you come to seek my opinion on?"

With a sigh I thought now or never and asked, "Do you think Drax has a crush on me?"

Without even a moment to think about it she immediately replied, "Yes." Before taking a sip of tea.

Just barely managing to keep my cool I asked, "Are you sure?"

A small smile cracked on her face, "You'd have to be blind, deaf, and an _idiot_ , to not see it. The way he looks at you when you're turned away, his actions around you. He's definitely interested. Why do you ask? Are you not comfortable with that fact?"

"No," I replied with a shake of my head, "I have no problem with guys. I've been known to have a moment with a few."

"Do you not reciprocate with his feelings?"

"Maybe…a little bit."

Her smile grew into what I could only describe as a shit-eating-grin, "Well then, you must have it pretty hard for him. What is the problem?"

"Yondu."

"Yondu? What does he have to do with it?" She paused before making a face, "Oh…oh please don't tell me…"

"What?! No. No! G-God no! It's just, when I turned sixteen I got my first…experience, and he saw it as his duty to impart on me the wisdom of dating. One of the biggest rules was never date someone you work with. Can't exactly say it was a bad rule either. There were a couple Ravagers who came and went on the ship…they mostly left because they fell for someone else on the ship and things didn't work out. I just don't want the same thing to happen with Drax." With a sigh I scrubbed a hand through my hair, "We just can't afford to lose him because of a stupid fling."

" _We_ can't or _you_ can't?"

"Fine. I'll admit there's a lot of reasons why I should…but there's also a lot of reasons why I shouldn't."

She smiled fondly at me. It was getting harder and harder to deny the fact that she was definitely becoming a close confidante. Admittedly she almost felt like a sister to me in many ways…a sister who could twist a guy into a pretzel and shove his own head up his ass, but a sister none-the-less.

"Peter," she reached out and put a hand on top of mine, "we all have our reasons for not wanting to let ourselves fall for someone. The prospect of pain and sorrow is sometimes a daunting thing, but there's all the reasons in the universe _for_ falling for somebody. Companionship, closeness, not feeling alone. Besides, do you _really_ think Drax is the kind of person to, what's the phrase? 'Love 'em 'n leave 'em'?"

The snort of laughter was so great that my drink threatened to spurt out of my nose. After a moment though the smile faded from my face and looking down I did something no captain should ever do: show weakness.

"It's not Drax leaving that I'm afraid of," I finally said after a pause.

"What do you mean?" She inquired.

"I mean; I'm not exactly known for my long-term relationships…or monogamy for that matter."

"Well, maybe it's time to give it a shot. We're not exactly wanted fugitives anymore running from place to place and never being able to stay anywhere."

Hate to admit it, but she made a very good point. Ever since putting Ronan down, things have been rather quiet and mundane. Hell, Yondu hasn't even called and given me crap about swapping the stone. Maybe this is worth giving a shot.

Feeling my smile slowly return I couldn't help the jibe as I asked, "How did you get so smart about relationships?"

She merely returned my smile and replied, "Let's just say I read a lot in my spare time with Ronan."

Laughing we continued our meal as I thought out ways to tell Drax what I wanted…along with a few other fantasies that skipped through my head.


	2. Chapter 2

After Gamora and I finished our lunch I decided to take a stroll through a little park that was just a few minutes' walk from the café we had been eating at. Trying to clear my head and see if I could come to a decision as to what I was going to do about this whole situation. Admittedly my first instinct was to do what I normally did when a problem came up, ignore it. However, I had a feeling that ignoring it was not going to help at all in this situation. After all, we were all on the same ship together.

Letting out a groan of frustration I proceeded to punch my fist into a tree, the result of which caused me to cry out and hold my hand close to my chest.

"Greetings Star-Lord, I'm not sure what that tree did to deserve your ire, but I'm sure our friend Groot would not appreciate you damaging his fellow brethren." Came the deep voice that haunted my dreams, and was the one voice I certainly didn't want to hear right now.

Turning around I spied the tall, green, scar covered alien coming towards me wearing his usual attire of form-fitting black pants, black thick soled boots, and no shirt which showed off that near obscene musculature that was hard earned.

"Hey Drax. The tree didn't do anything, I was just…working out some frustration."

"Would our gym on the _Milano_ not be a more appropriate place? I found it often gives one clarity of mind."

Smiling slightly, I replied, "Sorry Big Guy, I'm not one for gym work. I prefer more natural environments to get my exercise. Chasing bounties and all that. It's good cardio. Anyway, was there something I could do for you?"

"I am not in need of any assistance at the moment, but I was wondering if you would want to walk with me? The day reminds me of the gentler seasons on my home planet and I wanted to enjoy it, until I happened upon you punching that tree."

Despite several voices in my head screaming 'no', I found myself nodding and saying, "Sure Drax, lead the way."

We started off on our journey together, me still holding my throbbing hand. Most of my attention was thinking on that, to hopefully distract me from the walking wet-dream next to me. Unfortunately, my lack of attention caused me to startle when he spoke again, "Is your hand alright Peter? You seem to have been cradling it for some time now. Perhaps we should have it looked at by a doctor?"

"No, it's fine Drax, thank you. I'll bandage it up when we get back to the ship, then it'll be right as rain," the words left my mouth before I could even stop them, I winced at the expected clueless remark about metaphors. However, none came.

Drax simply nodded, "As you wish Peter, but I would like to examine it myself when we get back. If you have broken something it will not do to let it sit unattended too."

"Sure Drax, whatever you want," I replied with an absentminded nod. The two of us walked along the pathway for several minutes in what I'm sure most people would think of as being companionable silence. Considering the company right now, however, the minutes felt like hours.

"What is Earth like?" The unexpected break in the lull made me jump and almost collide with a group of children.

"Wh-what?" I managed to mumble out as I righted myself, looking over at just the right time to see a small smile on the alien's face.

"I asked what Earth is like." he repeated.

"Oh, it's nice, I guess. I mean, obviously I've never been back. But it was a nice place, people there were…mostly harmless. How come you're asking?"

"I am wanting to know more about you."

"Why?"

"Because, Star Lord, it is my wish to court you."

This time I really did end up careening into another group of children. Their parent, guardian, whatever they were ended up shouting at me in some alien language. Wasn't too sure what they said, but I'm sure it wasn't a compliment. Drax reached out and helped me right myself onto my feet.

"What did you say to me?"

The green-skinned alien quirked his head to the side slightly and replied, "It would seem that your hearing also requires medical attention. I announced that I want to…"

I quickly shushed him, "Shh! I know what you said…I just…what? Why? Why now?"

He continued to look at me as if I was an idiot (admittedly, I wasn't too far off from feeling like one at the moment), "I thought it was clear what my intentions were? Have I not been attentive enough for you?"

"Getting me coffee? Punching guys in the face? That was attempts at courting?"

"I would have also slain a great beast and presented its heart to you, as is the custom on my world. But you humans are so squeamish sometimes."

I felt myself simply gaping at him, after a moment I was able to pick my jaw up off the ground, "Well, thank…thank you for not doing that. But Drax I…I don't…can't…"

Dammit! Why couldn't I just say what I needed to. Damn him and his…his everything! This felt like kicking a puppy. I wanted so much to jump in his arms and kiss the shit out of him, but knew that doing so would only just eventually bring us heartache.

At my hesitation, his face seemed to drop slightly, "It is all right Star Lord, I understand that your affections could never be for a same-sex partner. Do not worry though, we shall still be teammates. I must return to the ship now, I will see you when you return."

He turned to begin walking back through the park, I was too stunned into silence as he walked away. The throbbing in my hand became for incessant, with a sigh I decided to head to a nearby Medi-clinic to have my hand looked at. Turning back to watch Drax just as he disappeared out of sight, I knew the throbbing in my chest was probably going to take a little longer to deal with. At least I knew he liked me…now how the hell was I going to tell him just how bad of an idea it was for us to be together?


End file.
